Saturday, 3 June 2017

Another craft stick fairy today, this time I wanted to try using flower petals from cheap artificial flowers for the skirt.

I call this the Queen Mother of my craft fairy projects, because she is about double the size of all the rest! I thought all craft sticks were roughly the same size, but when I got the “Queen Mother” sticks home, I soon discovered they’re not.

The cottage rose came from Poundland, it was a very generous size, so I reckon there are enough layers for at least four more fairies.

I started by wrapping a natural coloured cotton yarn around the top of the craft stick to make the hair.

This was followed by giving the fairy a face, using a fine liner pen and a top from a scrap of matching pale purple card. I then took three petal layers making a small slit in each for the stick to pass through.

To help the layers lie a little flatter I first used PVA glue between the layers, at the top, but then swapped it for blobs of glue gun glue as it stuck much faster. I also added the fairy slippers by using a purple Sharpie pen and the carefully went round the edges to accentuate them, followed by a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents.

The fairy’s arms were made using two natural coloured beads knotted on to a length of cotton yarn.

I couldn’t believe it when I found that the Home Bargains butterflies I had were a perfect match for the petals. I stuck the centre of the arm thread on the back of the fairy and then glued the butterfly over so that the thread was hidden.

Next followed all the twiddly bits using strips of iridescent self adhesive gems on the wings, and the fairy’s top, plus two purple nail art gems on her slippers and a purple flat back flower in her hair.

To decorate a Christmas tree I think I prefer the fairies made using the smaller craft sticks, but ……….. I am also thinking that you could make some lovely fabric or paper bunting for a little girls bedroom by sticking matching fairies on alternate triangle pendants with a few stars …….. perhaps this is “a watch this space” post for the future ……. when I have a little more time.

This fairy however is destined to mark Iris’s first dancing class sometime in September, I need to scout the charity shops for an ornatish style, white frame to stick her on, after removing the glass ……. again, watch this space.